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Wylie quarterback Atwood takes step forward leading Bulldogs offense

Wylie senior quarterback Harrison Atwood took a big step forward last week and hopes to continue improving as the season goes on.
Abilene

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Wylie quarterback Harrison Atwood (19) breaks a tackle during the scrimmage against Odessa High at Bulldog Stadium. Atwood, a senior, has nailed down the starting role for the Bulldogs.(Photo: Jordan Hofeditz/Reporter-News)Buy Photo

After splitting time at quarterback in the Wylie football team’s season opener, it was all Harrison Atwood on Friday night.

From start to finish, the senior signal-caller was on the field and got the offense to do something it couldn’t do against Georgetown: score. While the result was ultimately the same, a loss to Lubbock Monterey, it was a marked improvement from the first game.

“I felt a whole lot more comfortable out there,” Atwood said. “I felt like I had a better understanding of the game. I felt like we all had a better understanding of the game and it showed out on the field. We played a whole lot better than we did in Week 1.”

It didn’t take long to notice the improvement. Atwood led the Bulldogs 79 yards in 10 plays on the opening drive, connecting with fullback Nathan Moore for a 3-yard touchdown pass. After Monterey tied the game, Atwood and the offense went back to work, this time going 86 yards in 14 plays ending with a 9-yard pass to Bailey Hicks to regain the lead.

“To score on your first two drives, opening drive of the game,” Wylie coach Hugh Sandifer said. “Monterey responds, then go right back and respond. To have a 10-play and a 14-play (drive) and I think (Atwood) hit his first eight passes. I thought there was a lot of bright spots.”

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Wylie quarterback Harrison Atwood (19) lets a throw go before the Bulldogs opened the season against Georgetown.(Photo: Jordan Hofeditz/Reporter-News)

Atwood in control

After starting 8 for 8, Atwood cooled down a little, but finished 12 of 23 for 147 yards and the two scores. He also rushed for 78 yards and the game-tying touchdown with 6:21 left in the game.

Monterey returned the ensuing kickoff nearly 80 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown with just under four minutes left. But even then, Wylie gave itself a chance, led by Atwood, to tie the game.

A fourth-down pass fell incomplete, however.

“I think (the start of the game) led to our drive to tie it with six minutes left,” Sandifer said. “I … think it gave (Atwood), and the offense, confidence that we could go down and tie it. And then it gave them confidence at the end when we had to go down and tie it again and get all the way down to their 22-yard line.

"Success kind of breeds success and I think we saw that Friday.”

Atwood’s top targets were Moore and Hicks, combining to catch nine of Atwood's 13 completions. But he also showed the ability to go down the field. Atwood found Brodey Baker for a 21-yard pass on a crossing route over the middle and went deep, for 46 yards to Hayden Keidl.

Atwood, Hicks and Moore are all seniors in the backfield and there is a comfort level that has been built up over the years.

“It’s something that we’ve been doing since we were in junior high, since seventh grade,” Atwood said. “Over all those years we’ve gotten to know each other, know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I think it helps translate onto the game field.”

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Wylie quarterbacks Jaxon Hansen (14) and Harrison Atwood (19) warm up before the Bulldogs opened the season against Georgetown.(Photo: Jordan Hofeditz/Reporter-News)

Sophomore QB will play

Because of Atwood’s success, Sandifer didn’t turn to sophomore backup Jaxon Hansen at any point in the game like he did in Week 1. But that doesn’t mean he won’t have more chances as the season goes on.

“I think we’ll play both quarterbacks, that’s a given,” Sandifer said. “I always like having some guys you can count on. Harrison started hot and I wasn’t going to pull him. I thought he had a good game for us. Any time we get productive play out of that position we’re going to be more effective.

"That was a challenge we had in our meeting room all week. There were a lot of situations that we could have corrected, but some was just going out there and being the leader and do your job. I thought we did some of that.”

That’s something both Atwood and Hansen understand. It’s a relationship that was built this past offseason as the two battled for the starting spot and has continued to grow and develop now that the season has started.

“Me and Jaxon are really good buddies,” Atwood said. “We’ve gotten to know each other over this past offseason. He’s a great guy and I love him. He’s awesome and I take things from him that I think he does good … competition always makes everybody do their best, obviously.

"I was very appreciative of him being happy for the success that we had and that I had. He was one of the first people to congratulate me when we scored a touchdown this last game. I see that and I take note of that.”

Being on the sideline, cheering your teammates while also wanting your chance is something Atwood knows. He was the third-string quarterback last season behind Sam King and Tyler O’Connor, moving into the backup role when King got hurt. Not only did Atwood learn from them, it gave him an understanding of the backup’s role.

That role isn’t necessarily sitting idly behind the starter, either.

“We talk about, ‘The quarterback always gets too much credit and too much blame,” Sandifer said. “So, you’ve got to help each other out.’ It’s not a situation where anything’s guaranteed. We don’t want anybody to become complacent, we don’t want anyone to sit there and give up hope either. We don’t want that at any position, any player on the team and quarterback should be no different.”

The next step for the Bulldogs and their offense is doing enough to win. Last week was a step in the right direction, but it still came in a loss. The schedule doesn’t do Wylie any favors either as former district foe and last year’s Class 4A Division I state semifinalist Stephenville comes to Bulldog Stadium.

The Yellow Jackets bring in a tough defense, but Wylie has already seen two of those and found ways to be successful.

“The thing I like, we controlled the game the first half,” Sandifer said. “When you go on a 14-play, a 10-play (drive) that’s more reps. You’re dictating the tempo of the game. People say, ‘That’s a slow game,’ but yet some of our better plays were tempo, getting to the line and going fast.”

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Wylie quarterback Harrison Atwood (19) scrambles for yards during the scrimmage against Odessa High at Bulldog Stadium.(Photo: Jordan Hofeditz/Reporter-News)

The improvements are still coming and there’s no magic formula. It’s just getting back to work and correcting things to be better the next time out.

“We just take it game by game, practice by practice,” Atwood said. “We see from the game before what we need to work on and that week we use those weaknesses and we fine tune those to try and make them our strengths.”